


Bi Visibility Day 2017

by BoleynC



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: M/M, also some talk about rob being bi, enjoy some Roblivion!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-23
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2019-01-04 11:00:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12167514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoleynC/pseuds/BoleynC
Summary: Liv throws a little celebration in Robert's honour. (Set in a universe where Rob never slept with Rebecca).





	Bi Visibility Day 2017

“C’mon,” Aaron urges him as they walk down the spiral staircase, Robert doing up the last of his shirt buttons as he goes. For some reason Aaron’s insisted they get showered and dressed before they come down this morning, instead of slobbing about as usual for the weekend.

“It’s Saturday,” Robert complains. “You know we could still be in bed?” 

“What? And waste the day?" 

Robert frowns suspiciously at his husband, who seems far too animated for this time of the morning. As he reaches the bottom of the staircase after Aaron, all becomes clear. 

The front room is decorated like it’s someone’s birthday, all balloons and bunting. For a horrible moment, Robert thinks he and Aaron have forgotten Liv’s again, but then he sees Liv’s grinning, mischievous face as she stands in front of the huge flag stuck to the mantelpiece, and knows _exactly_ what this is about, god help him.

“What’s this?” Robert asks flatly, noticing that the balloons all seem to be in either pink, purple, or blue. 

“Looks ace, right?” Liv declares, gesturing around them. “I was up since seven doing this lot. You can thank me later.” 

“I’m going back to bed,” Robert says, pretending to go back up the stairs. 

“Er, no you’re not,” Aaron tells his husband, furrowing his brows significantly at him.

“For bi visibility day, innit?” Liv announces proudly. “Heard about it on twitter.” 

Robert frowns, feeling uncomfortable. His sexuality isn’t really something he talks about or likes to broadcast. He’s accepted it now, yes, but he’s not exactly out and proud. Having his front room turned into some sort of… whatever bisexual mess it is, isn't exactly his idea of a fun Saturday morning. 

As if reading his mind, Aaron places a calming hand on the small of his back and gives him a tiny, supportive smile. 

“Liv wanted to invite some people over-“ 

Robert goes pale with horror. 

“But I said it should just be the three of us,” Aaron continues, and Robert relaxes, feeling much better. Aaron knows him better than anyone. Of _course_ he’s stopped Liv from inviting half the village.

“Any excuse for a party with you, eh?” Robert comments, and Liv grins. 

“I _was_ gonna get us pink champagne-“ 

“David didn’t sell you that, did he?” Aaron asks worriedly. 

“No. Obviously not. I just thought, y’know, with the colour scheme and all.”

“Go on then,” Robert sighs, starting to warm to the idea now he knows it’s just him and his little family. No outsiders. Nobody to judge. “What does this day of yours entail?” 

“Well, I dunno,” Liv admits with a shrug. “Just us having a good time. Being together. And showing you support or whatever.” 

The idea’s a sweet one. Robert still thinks the whole thing is unnecessary and faintly embarrassing, but he gets that Liv means well, and the fact she’s set this up for him, trying to do her best, makes it all worthwhile. If he has to sit through whatever she has planned for him today then he will. For her sake. 

“Does this mean I get waited on hand and foot and get my pick of the telly?” Robert suggests, reclining on the sofa.

“Er dream on,” Aaron retorts, slumping down beside him and shoving Robert’s feet out of his way. “Ya think cause you’re bi you get to call the shots or summat?”

“Well, I mean just being gay’s a bit boring, isn’t it?” Robert comments cheekily, and Aaron flicks him in the arm, making him laugh. 

Liv bustles to the kitchen and back, returning with a plate of cakes iced (fairly badly) in pink, blue, and purple. 

“Made ya these,” Liv announces proudly. 

“You let Liv loose in the kitchen while we were in bed?” Robert asks Aaron with a raised eyebrow. 

“Oi! I’m not a kid. Did them last night at Gabby’s, didn't I. Anyway, I don’t burn the food. That’s Aaron, remember.” 

Aaron makes a face at his little sister, and Liv sticks her tongue out back. 

“So what d’ya think?” Liv asks, shoving her plate of cakes into Robert’s face. “Had to mix the icing. Properly hard to find purple anywhere.” 

Aaron gives Robert a nudge, and he takes that to mean he’s expected to try one of these little monstrosities, even though it’s not even lunchtime yet. Trying to look enthusiastic, Robert picks one up and takes a bite. 

It’s not the culinary hell he’s been anticipating. In fact, Liv isn’t a bad little baker. 

“This is actually pretty good,” Robert admits. 

“Cheers for that, you don’t have to look so surprised,” Liv says, rolling her eyes, but it’s obvious she's pleased. “Vic gave me the recipe.” 

Aaron takes a cake too (a blue one) and doesn’t eat it with either the delicacy or trepidation that Robert did. He shoves it in his mouth, managing to get crumbs all over himself. Both Robert and Liv frown at him and then exchange a knowing look which means he’s going to be on hoovering duties later. 

“I thought cause we didn’t do anything proper for your birthday this year, we should do today instead,” Liv explains, putting her cakes down and perching on the arm of the sofa beside Robert. “I mean Mauritius was nice and all, but it wasn’t a proper birthday for ya.” 

“I dunno, I seem to remember him downing champagne on a beach,” Aaron quips, and gets a kick from Robert for his trouble. 

“I was thinking we could go out,” Liv suggests, swinging her legs. “Cinema or something.” 

Robert and Aaron both turn to her with surprise. 

“What? I don’t mind going to the cinema with you. Just as long as you don’t do anything gross like start snogging.” 

“So we’re actually cool enough to be seen out with yer, then?” Robert teases her. 

“Once in a while,” Liv agrees, and Aaron and Robert laugh.

“Oh!” Liv exclaims, remembering something and getting up. “I want a picture for Instagram.” 

“Of what?” Robert asks suspiciously. 

“Of you, _obviously._ ” 

Robert raises his eyebrows. 

“I thought your Instagram was all arty stuff?” 

“It is,” Liv agrees, finding the app on her phone. “But I thought since it’s a special occasion…” 

Aaron gets up from the sofa so Liv can get a clear shot of Robert. It seems like he's being helpful, but Robert knows he’s really just dodging the camera. Aaron hates having his photo taken without warning. 

“Get her,” Aaron quips, grinning. “Only wants ya on there when it’ll get her a like.” 

“Oi!” Liv exclaims. “It’s solidarity, innit.” 

“Wasn’t solidarity when you put me on there last time,” Robert reminds her. 

Liv grins at the memory. 

“I know, but you looked _so cute_ asleep on the sofa.” 

“I was dribbling!” 

“I got like four comments saying you were fit,” Liv tells him, and Aaron screws up his face. 

“You’d better not have any like that of me on there,” Aaron remarks. 

“As if I’d do that to ya,” Liv says sweetly, and Robert has to hold back a grin because he knows full well Liv’s posted a short video of Aaron singing to himself in the kitchen before. He’s seen it about a hundred times already, and saved it to his phone. 

Liv frowns at Robert, clearly unhappy with the angles she’s getting with him sitting down. She’s a little perfectionist when it comes to art, Robert’ll give her that.

“Right, okay, we’ll do a selfie,” she decides. “Way more casual. Come over here a second and smile.”

“Do I have to?” Robert groans, although he’s already going.

He gives an awkward sort of smile, flashing his teeth to the camera. Beside him, Liv sticks out her tongue. The angle’s a bit strange because of the height difference, and Robert has to bend right down, but finally Liv takes one she’s happy with. 

When Robert looks over at Aaron to raise an eyebrow at him, he sees his husband watching them both with a soft, genuine smile. 

A little embarrassed, Robert returns to the sofa. 

“What’re you captioning it?” he asks, as Liv types away. 

“Never you mind.” 

“She’s done with ya now,” Aaron quips, going to the kitchen to make them all a brew. “Now she’s used ya for the internet fame you’re yesterday’s news.” 

Robert takes another of Liv’s cupcakes and laughs.

+++

“It was good of ya to go along with it,” Aaron comments later, as he and Robert are lying in bed, Aaron with his hands folded behind his head, Robert reading one of his intimidatingly long novels. 

They’ve spent a good day together, the three of them, going to the cinema in the afternoon, then heading to the pub for burgers and chips. There haven’t been any arguments, and Robert’s storing today for future reference, to think about whenever he and Aaron are having a barney or Liv’s being a pain. 

“Well, she put in the effort,” Robert concedes, placing a bookmark on his page and setting the book down on the beside table. “And it wasn’t too bad. Embarrassing, yes. But not quite as mortifying as it could have been.” 

“She means well.” 

“I know.” 

Robert turns off the bedside lamp, bathing the room in darkness, and they rest in silence for a minute or so, Robert getting comfortable, Aaron still staring up at the ceiling. 

“Rob?” he asks tentatively. 

“Hm?” 

“You know the whole you being bi thing?” 

 _Here we go_ , Robert thinks. 

“Yes.” 

“You know that… well, I mean we can talk about it and stuff.” 

Robert raises an eyebrow. 

“If you want to,” Aaron clarifies. 

“I don’t.” 

Aaron nods, accepting that. 

“I’m still learning about all that stuff,” Aaron admits. “Seems dead weird to me. Being into both.” 

“Well maybe just liking one gender seems weird to me?” 

Aaron thinks about that and sighs. He supposes that’s true. 

“Can’t get my head around it,” Aaron comments. 

“Well, you don’t have to,” Robert says, a little sharply. More sharply than he intended. 

Realising he’s offended Robert, Aaron rolls into his side and rests his head on his arm, cheek against his hand, watching his husband. 

“I just meant that liking both seems a bit-“ 

“I like _you,_ ” Robert interrupts him. “I’m attracted to both. Always have been. But I’m _with_ you. I’ve chosen _you._ It’s not rocket science. _”_

“It’s just different,” Aaron admits with a shrug. “Not bad. I mean, I did used to feel a bit… but I mean, that was my own insecurities. My counsellor says that-“ 

“You’ve spoken to her about this?” Robert asks with surprise. 

Aaron nods. 

“Guess I need to make more of an effort,” Aaron says quietly. 

Robert swallows. That means a lot, but he doesn’t know how to say so. He doesn’t want Aaron to know what a big deal that is to him. It’s too embarrassing to admit that having someone accept his identity enough to learn more means so much. Especially since that someone is Aaron Dingle. The famously stubborn and set in his ways.

“But like, if you ever wanna talk about it, then I’m here. And it could help me understand too,” Aaron suggests. 

There’s nothing to understand, not really, but Robert doesn’t say so. He knows that Aaron’s trying. That for him to even say any of this is a massive deal. And he appreciates it. 

“Tired,” Robert mutters, and Aaron gets the hint, shifting over to Robert to press a quick kiss to his lips. 

“Night,” Aaron says, lying back down. 

It only takes a few minutes for him to fall asleep. It’s nothing like when he first came home from prison, when he’d take hours to drift off, waking up in a state sometimes. Now he’s so relaxed he can be out of it more or less as soon as his head hits the pillow. It’s a joke they have, that Aaron could probably sleep through the nuclear apocalypse. 

Remembering something, Robert reaches out to the bedside table for his mobile. Careful that the blue light doesn’t disturb Aaron he opens Instagram and heads for Liv’s page. 

He visits it sometimes to see how she’s doing, to take a look at her latest sketches and photography. Robert thinks she’s talented, especially when it comes to cartoons. She has a knack for catching the spirit of people, for bringing humour to her art. He has a tentative hope that she might get into comic book pencilling somehow. He wouldn’t have minded doing that, if he could draw. 

The photo from earlier isn’t too bad. He doesn’t look his best, and he can see the embarrassment in his own eyes, but he looks happy, the filter’s flattering, and Liv’s already got a fair few likes on it. 

He scrolls down slightly to read her caption. He’s expecting something sarcastic, some fond insult, or the usual blond haired guy emoji, but instead what he reads makes his eyes well up, a smile growing on his face in the blue light as Aaron breathes gently beside him.

+++

_Me and Robert, aka the sort-of big brother from hell, who also happens to be bisexual. He’s a muppet most of the time, but that’s not cause he’s bi. Being bi doesn’t make you greedy or fake or a bad person or whatever. In fact Rob’s one of the coolest ppl I know. If you’ve got a problem with bi ppl then you can do one! Love is love!!! #BIVISIBILITYDAY #FAMILY #BIGBRO #PROPERMUPPET #PROUD_

+++

**Author's Note:**

> Just a fun little thing I wrote to mark the day! As a bi person myself, Robert being canonically bisexual is important to me, and I wanted to write something fun, to distract us all from the angst! 
> 
> Please leave a comment if you enjoyed! 
> 
> xxx


End file.
